69,076 books
—
219,099 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Siddhartha” as Want to Read:
Siddhartha
by
Herman Hesse's classic novel has delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers, and thinkers. In this story of a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege to seek spiritual fulfillment. Hesse synthesizes disparate philosophies--Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism--into a unique vision of life as expressed throug
...more
Get A Copy
Mass Market Paperback, 152 pages
Published
December 1st 1981
by Bantam Books
(first published 1922)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Siddhartha
So there’s a damn dirty hippie in India named Siddhartha who is supposed to be seeking spiritual enlightenment, but instead of going to a good Christian church like a normal person, he wanders around the woods for a while with some other damn dirty hippies. After he meets Buddha, he finally gets tired of being broke-ass and homeless, and he goes into town where he makes a pile of money. This is good because everyone knows that engaging in capitalism is the only proper way to go through life. As
...more
My apologies if this review reeks of "GUSHness." However, it gave me that ONE-OF-A-KIND reading experience that doesn't come along often and so I think it is certainly worthy of the praise I shall heep upon it. Beautifully written and a deeply personal story, Hesse has created the ultimate expression of the journey of self-discovery.
The book details the story of Siddhartha, the young and brilliant son of a Brahmin in ancient India. The Brahmin are the uber revered caste comprised of poets, ...more
MY BEST BOOK OF 2017!
In life we all look for meaning, we all look for something to give us a purpose and, in essence, a reason to actually be alive. Nobody wants to get to the end of their journey and realise it was all for nothing, and that their days were utterly wasted. So how do we find this meaning?
“One must find the source within one's own Self, one must possess it. Everything else was seeking -- a detour, an error.”
We must find our own peace. Siddhartha followed the teachings of ...more
In life we all look for meaning, we all look for something to give us a purpose and, in essence, a reason to actually be alive. Nobody wants to get to the end of their journey and realise it was all for nothing, and that their days were utterly wasted. So how do we find this meaning?
“One must find the source within one's own Self, one must possess it. Everything else was seeking -- a detour, an error.”
We must find our own peace. Siddhartha followed the teachings of ...more
(Book 717 from 1001 Books) - Siddhartha. Eine indische Dichtung = Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
Siddhartha is a novel by Hermann Hesse that deals with the spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the Gautama Buddha.
The book, Hesse's ninth novel, was written in German, in a simple, lyrical style. It was published in the U.S. in 1951 and became influential during the 1960's.
سیذارتا - هرمان هسه (اساطیر، فردوس) ادبیات آلمانی؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه دسامبر سال 200 ...more
Siddhartha is a novel by Hermann Hesse that deals with the spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the Gautama Buddha.
The book, Hesse's ninth novel, was written in German, in a simple, lyrical style. It was published in the U.S. in 1951 and became influential during the 1960's.
سیذارتا - هرمان هسه (اساطیر، فردوس) ادبیات آلمانی؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه دسامبر سال 200 ...more
It was the book I read it four years back. And to tell the truth I did not liked it much at the time. I thought this guy has written a book for western audience who are not familiar with the 'philosophy of karma and dharma', or rather, in general, the basic philosophy of India, who after reading it will realize something esoteric. And so it seemed to me a book containing wisdom that didn't touched me. And I finished it with the verdict: contains wisdom, but lacks depth, boring at times, and do n
...more
By the latter part of the 19th Century, the colonial spread of European powers across the world was in full swing. The British ruled India and Australia and had gone to war with China to force opium on the population. Africa, South America, and the Philippines had been portioned out for Western rule and control of resources.
But tyranny does not travel only in one direction, from conqueror to subject. When Medieval European knights returned from the crusades, they brought with them mathematical p ...more
But tyranny does not travel only in one direction, from conqueror to subject. When Medieval European knights returned from the crusades, they brought with them mathematical p ...more
Oct 23, 2012
Paquita Maria Sanchez
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature
If I could turn back time*or perhaps pass through some portal which brings me face-to-face with my 14-year-old self, there are so many books I would recommend to little me, grabbing my shoulders to shake my malnourished frame and insisting that I get to reading them as soon as effin possible instead of waiting until I'm too old and cynical and hyper-critical to appreciate and relate to what they have to say. If this ever is/was the case, this time-warp, today I would probably see a lot more nove
...more
Most religions know of it as "Enlightenment" - when the individual transcends himself and sees himself as one with the ultimate reality. It can be theistic (the Aham Brahma Asmi - "I am the Brahman" or Tat Tvam Asi - "Thou Art That" of Hinduism) or atheistic (the Buddhist Nirvana, based on the Anatman - "non-soul"); but the person who achieves it, according to all sources, is caught up in profound rapture. To reach this stage, one has to tread an arduous path. Carl Gustav Jung called the process
...more
Apr 15, 2014
Himanshu
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Those looking for a quick spiritual tour
Has it ever happened to you that you are standing, facing a magnificent, breathtaking view, in solitude, and a strong wind hits you in the face? You try to stay still, with eyes closed and then an involuntary smile comes across your face? This book was like that.
The Hippy version of „The Alchemist”
The book summed up in a picture
In 1922 the German novelist Hermann Hesse published an allegorical tale playing in India, when Buddha was still around. His main character is Siddhartha, who searches for total spiritual enlightenment. Doing so he experiments with different teachers and religions, as well as material striving, to approach Nirvana. When those teachings prove unsatisfactory, he turns his search inwards, achieving total spiritual understanding.
Main ...more
The book summed up in a pictureIn 1922 the German novelist Hermann Hesse published an allegorical tale playing in India, when Buddha was still around. His main character is Siddhartha, who searches for total spiritual enlightenment. Doing so he experiments with different teachers and religions, as well as material striving, to approach Nirvana. When those teachings prove unsatisfactory, he turns his search inwards, achieving total spiritual understanding.
Main ...more
I taught this book to juniors, and when I did I became frustrated with a student when I introduced it, because he let his classmates know that he'd already read it and it sucked. I'm happy to report, now that we've finished it, that his comments didn't seem to hurt the class's opinion of the book too badly. In fact, that student himself said it was pretty good and that he'd only skimmed it the last time he read it. Lousy kids.... Another student said it was his favorite book that we'd read so fa
...more
Hesse never really made the grade with this one in my young mind. I read it in 1973, and found it compounded my youthful confusion. Simply put, it conflicted jarringly with an insight I had been blessed - or cursed - with three years earlier.
That insight was that the purity of Being is insulted by our widespread profligacy.
Call it ontological if you prefer, but following Heidegger I saw the Crown of Being as the very germ and goal of a spiritual quest.
Stephane Mallarme spins an imaginative simi ...more
That insight was that the purity of Being is insulted by our widespread profligacy.
Call it ontological if you prefer, but following Heidegger I saw the Crown of Being as the very germ and goal of a spiritual quest.
Stephane Mallarme spins an imaginative simi ...more
For years, and when I say years it is actually more like decades, I have seen this classic book from time to time but I have never read it. It's not a very long book, but I just never took the time to try it out. One of my Goodreads groups is reading it this month, so I figured that now is as good a time as any to give it a go.
I decided to listen to it and it kind of felt like I was listening to a story around the campfire. The biggest thing it reminded me of was when I was a kid at the museum ...more
I decided to listen to it and it kind of felt like I was listening to a story around the campfire. The biggest thing it reminded me of was when I was a kid at the museum ...more
Set on the Gangetic Plain some 2,600 years ago, Siddhartha is about one man's search for enlightenment. Siddhartha, son of a Brahmin, even in the presence of Gautama Buddha himself, is unable to find a way if it depends on the teachings of others. There is, Siddhartha comes to believe, no single illuminated path for all men and women to follow. We must each of us make our own mistakes. We must all suffer, and no warning against it will ever help us. For to live some kind of bizarre life of comfo
...more
Uber popular & widely read in high schools & colleges all over the US, there is a goldmine of true, deep (om... indescribable?) philosophy in Siddhartha—a constant string of meditation & a neverending search through a thick forest of abstraction. The world is Westernized by the wise writer, and his easy prose is easy to follow, although the concepts take a while to sink in (I mean, how can a person really be devoid of love? How can possessions, even the indispensable ones, be so discardable? How
...more
Lately, even before I read this book, I was noticing some book opinion that "I-would-like-this-book-better-at-my-younger-age", especially Cecily's review about The Alchemist that I couldn't agree more. I cannot help myself comparing this book with The Alchemist, although Siddharta is the better one. I believe if I read this ten years ago, I could appreciate more about the plot. But there is a Catch-22 situation: ten years ago, I don't know enough to appreciate the Vedic jargons on the book.
The ...more
The ...more
Jul 05, 2020
Lea
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
philosophy,
recommended,
psychology-psychotherapy,
ebook,
faith-spirituality,
fiction,
classic
“Your soul is the whole world”
A lot of people for the longest time recommended me this book. I have to say I’m slightly disappointed with the experience of reading it, maybe because my expectations were so high, as all of the wise and profound people I know seem to admire it. When I was younger (high school) I’ve read Steppenwolf and I was in complete awe of Hesse’s writing, and I regarded him as one of most sagacious writers I’ve ever come across. Later on (in college) I attempted to read The G ...more
A lot of people for the longest time recommended me this book. I have to say I’m slightly disappointed with the experience of reading it, maybe because my expectations were so high, as all of the wise and profound people I know seem to admire it. When I was younger (high school) I’ve read Steppenwolf and I was in complete awe of Hesse’s writing, and I regarded him as one of most sagacious writers I’ve ever come across. Later on (in college) I attempted to read The G ...more
(Throwback Review) Siddhartha is a German novel by Hermann Hesse. This book tells us the story of Siddhartha’s quest for spiritual illumination. This book will spiritually enlighten you and teach you to identify love and love the world with certitude.
“Gentleness is stronger than severity, water is stronger than rock, love is stronger than force.”...more
Hermann Hesse writes as though his words are god's perspective, but I don't believe in god... And, for the most part, I think god is boring. I believe most people like this book because they think they will look dumb if they don't.
...more
Siddhartha rejects his life as a Brahman's son and goes out into the world in a quest for enlightenment, to live as an ascetic. After meeting Buddha, Siddhartha rejects the ascetic life for a more material one, the life of a merchant, learning the ways of love from a courtesan, and in time leaves that life behind as well. Will Siddhartha ever find what he is looking for?
Normally, a Nobel prize winning book wouldn't get a second look from me. I'm more into people getting pistol whipped and big mo ...more
Normally, a Nobel prize winning book wouldn't get a second look from me. I'm more into people getting pistol whipped and big mo ...more
What is the meaning of life? I don't know, and you're not going to find the answer in this book, although I've read some reviews of readers who claim it changed their lives, so there you go.
...more
When I edited my high school newspaper, we produced a popular feature called “Phot-O-pinion” where we asked a question about a (sometimes) pressing topic, quoted the student or teacher and snapped their pic. For one issue, at the suggestion of my journalism teacher, I asked teachers to name a book that changed their lives. I can’t remember all the responses, but without hesitation, one teacher told me, “Siddhartha, because it showed me a completely different perspective on life.”
A few months lat ...more
A few months lat ...more
Old pre-read review
Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are ...more
This book presents the evolution of a man through the various essential stages of his life, and it does it remarkably well.
How beautiful is the thought of Siddharta! She is refining, growing, amazes from page to page and for us readers, and it is a joy to have had this impression of growing up with Siddharta and found oneself as changed at the very end of the book.
The writing is beautiful, and although the message is profound, the book is, it seems to me, accessible to a large number of people!
E ...more
How beautiful is the thought of Siddharta! She is refining, growing, amazes from page to page and for us readers, and it is a joy to have had this impression of growing up with Siddharta and found oneself as changed at the very end of the book.
The writing is beautiful, and although the message is profound, the book is, it seems to me, accessible to a large number of people!
E ...more
Hermann Hesse’s 1922 book feels absolutely timeless and ageless – almost like a religious or spiritual text, not a work of fiction.
It’s about the lifelong journey of Siddhartha, a Brahmin’s son who leaves the comfort and intellectual stimulation of his home life to become a wandering ascetic, renouncing all possessions. After meeting the famous Buddha, Gautama, he realizes he wants or needs more, and so crosses a river with the help of a ferryman (who lets him ride for free - saying he’ll be ba ...more
It’s about the lifelong journey of Siddhartha, a Brahmin’s son who leaves the comfort and intellectual stimulation of his home life to become a wandering ascetic, renouncing all possessions. After meeting the famous Buddha, Gautama, he realizes he wants or needs more, and so crosses a river with the help of a ferryman (who lets him ride for free - saying he’ll be ba ...more
Dec 22, 2015
emma
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
classics,
unpopular-opinion,
reviewed,
project-review-everything,
owned,
school,
1-and-a-half-stars,
non-ya,
eh
there are certain roles i relish in this life.
when i was younger, i loved to play the part of Cool Teenage Girl while babysitting, because it was the most effective and energy efficient way to get children to like me. answering "do you have a boyfriend" and "do you go to parties" 800 times is way easier than running around or doing crafts.
i am still a big fan of embodying Sympathetic Customer at any retail or service establishment i go to. thanks to years of retail/service work this is actually ...more
when i was younger, i loved to play the part of Cool Teenage Girl while babysitting, because it was the most effective and energy efficient way to get children to like me. answering "do you have a boyfriend" and "do you go to parties" 800 times is way easier than running around or doing crafts.
i am still a big fan of embodying Sympathetic Customer at any retail or service establishment i go to. thanks to years of retail/service work this is actually ...more
* There may be a little spoiler *
The time: an old one. The place: India.
There's this young man named Siddhartha, who is everyone's love and joy. A wise and decent man who inspires everyone around him but himself. He isn't content with his life and everything around it, spiritually speaking. He feels it was not enough. And why isn't it enough? I don't know, but it is in human nature to wonder about the essence of things, such as the existence of God, of any god. Siddhartha is in a better positio ...more
The time: an old one. The place: India.
There's this young man named Siddhartha, who is everyone's love and joy. A wise and decent man who inspires everyone around him but himself. He isn't content with his life and everything around it, spiritually speaking. He feels it was not enough. And why isn't it enough? I don't know, but it is in human nature to wonder about the essence of things, such as the existence of God, of any god. Siddhartha is in a better positio ...more
Aug 27, 2018
Nat K
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2018-books,
spirituality-religion-philosophy
"Nothing was and nothing will be: everything is, and everything is present and has existence."
I feel strangely ambivalent towards this book. I neither liked nor disliked it. I read it, but can’t say it affected me at a deeper level. Siddhartha decides to seek enlightenment via practicing asceticism**.
I can’t pretend to begin to understand the need for this at all. Siddartha does this for several years; he freezes in the icy rain, he doesn’t sleep, he feels immense hunger. His mind and body are ...more
I feel strangely ambivalent towards this book. I neither liked nor disliked it. I read it, but can’t say it affected me at a deeper level. Siddhartha decides to seek enlightenment via practicing asceticism**.
I can’t pretend to begin to understand the need for this at all. Siddartha does this for several years; he freezes in the icy rain, he doesn’t sleep, he feels immense hunger. His mind and body are ...more
Siddhartha
By: Hermann Hesse
Narrated by: Christopher Preece
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is the first time I actually understand this book. I have read this book before a few times but it is a difficult book to read. For me, it is hard to stay focused and follow what is going on at times. With this audible book, with this narrator, I finally got the flow of the book! That's a big plus. Once I understood the basics of what was going on, I understood more. Do ...more
By: Hermann Hesse
Narrated by: Christopher Preece
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is the first time I actually understand this book. I have read this book before a few times but it is a difficult book to read. For me, it is hard to stay focused and follow what is going on at times. With this audible book, with this narrator, I finally got the flow of the book! That's a big plus. Once I understood the basics of what was going on, I understood more. Do ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads Librari...: Missing pages | 4 | 15 | Jan 03, 2022 04:20AM | |
| Reading 1001: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse | 5 | 20 | Dec 19, 2021 05:49AM | |
| the stages of spiritual evolution as Hesse sees it | 4 | 49 | Oct 03, 2021 12:39PM | |
| Oldtimer - Klasik...: Sidarta- Ağustos 2018 Modern klasik okuması | 15 | 91 | Apr 11, 2021 09:06PM | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Add book cover | 3 | 15 | Mar 02, 2021 08:17AM |
7,254 users
7,096 users
4,048 users
1,450 users
1,319 users
1,222 users
759 users
685 users
655 users
Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. His best known works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game (also known as Magister Ludi) which explore an individual's search for spirituality outside society.
In his time, Hesse was a popular and influential author in the German-speaking world; worldwide fame only c ...more
In his time, Hesse was a popular and influential author in the German-speaking world; worldwide fame only c ...more
Articles featuring this book
The joy of reading is universal—that's why we're shining a spotlight on some of the most popular translated books on...
98 likes · 26 comments
32 trivia questions
2 quizzes
More quizzes & trivia...
2 quizzes
“Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.”
—
2057 likes
“When someone seeks," said Siddhartha, "then it easily happens that his eyes see only the thing that he seeks, and he is able to find nothing, to take in nothing because he always thinks only about the thing he is seeking, because he has one goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal.”
—
1335 likes
More quotes…












The Beatle‘s trip to India for meditation courses in 1968
Siddhartha Gautama was Buddha, the founder of Buddhism
The very unesoteric looking Hermann Hesse





